JULY CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
1Canada Day Celebrations cap off the Binational Friendship Festival at the Mather Arch in Fort Erie. Programming is posted on
www.friendshipfestival.com or call (905) 871-6454 for information.
Northeast YMCA presents FREE Super Summer Sports Night at St. Leo the Great School, 903 Sweet Home Road in Amherst, from 7pm to 8pm. Bring the whole team to this fun event that encourages families to play together and win fun prizes. Sporty challenges include a Soccer Shootout, Home Run Derby, Hockey Obstacle Course, Around the World Basketball and more. Call 565-6000 for details.
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Little Gather at CMOG is a fun and engaging way to introduce little ones to the Corning Museum of Glass with storytelling, magic shows, music and lots of fun. Today’s feature is Stories by Regi Carpenter at 11am. Visit
www.cmog.org or call (607) 974-3306 to learn more.
Teddy Bear Picnic at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue in Buffalo takes place from 4-6pm. Presented by the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, the event includes a picnic dinner, entertainment, games, stories and more. Make your reservation by calling 884-0095.
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French and Indian War Reenactment at Old Fort Niagara through 7/6. The three day public event features large-scale battle reenactments at 3pm each day, 18th century camps, period artisans and merchants, art exhibits, children’s games and more. Log onto
www.oldfortniagara.org or call 745-7611 for details.
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FREE Kids Workshop at all Home Depot locations is designed for children ages 5 to 12 from 9am to noon. Today’s project is a bird home. Log onto
www.homedepotclinics.com to learn more.
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Children’s Summer Reading Camp is presented by Literacy Empowerment Action Plan (LEAP) of WNY at the Sheridan Building, 3200 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 214 in Tonawanda. Designed for students in grades 1-12, the three week camp runs Monday-Thursday from 9-10:30am or from 11am-12:30pm. Applications can be obtained at
www.leapofwny.org or by calling 873-0429.
MOMS Club of Kenmore/Tonawanda hosts a social from 10am to noon. New mothers and their children are welcome. Please call Andrea at 695-0197 for more information.
Summer of Furry Friends at Strong includes the opportunity to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog and one of the lovable Berenstain Bears “in person” from 11:30am-3:30pm each Monday-Saturday and from 12:30-4:30pm on Sundays through 8/22. End-of-day musical parades take place daily. For information, call (585) 263-2700 or log onto
www.museumofplay.org.Matt’s Music for Kids will perform at 6:30pm at the Clearfield Library, 770 Hopkins Road in Williamsville. Call 688-4955 to register.
Storm Clouds & Rainbows is a support group for teens/children (ages 5-17 years) and their parents or caregivers, who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group meets for 8 weeks at Life Transitions Center, 150 Bennett Road in Cheektowaga from 6:30pm to 8pm. Call 836-6460 for details.
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Carnegie Art Center, located at 240 Goundry Street in North Tonawanda, offers visual arts classes for students ages 6 to 11 years old. Classes are scheduled weekdays Tuesday through Friday in four weekly sessions beginning today and running through August 1. Class times are 10am-11:30am or 12pm-1:30pm. Register by calling 694-4400 or by logging onto
www.carnegieartcenter.org/children.
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Dinosaur Party for Little Chefs ages 3 to 6 at Tops Cooking School locations in Amherst and West Seneca from 10am-11am. Join in the prehistoric party complete with Dinosaur Sandwiches, Herbivore Salad, Dino Breadsticks and Volcano Juice. To register, call 515-2000 (Amherst) or 517-3006 (West Seneca).
Terry Buchwald ~ A Tribute to Elvis takes place at 6:30pm at the Greenfields Gazebo, 5949 Broadway in Lancaster. Bring your lawn chairs and snacks and enjoy a family-friendly musical evening. Call 684-8400 with questions.
La Leche League of Amherst meets at 7pm in the office of Family Chiropractic at 4017 Harlem Road (corner of Saratoga). Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and babies are welcome. Please contact Cindy at 308-4843 or Barb at 604-2117 for information.
11The Triplet Connection 2008 Convention runs from 5:30pm today through 7/13 at 10am, with most events taking place at the Buffalo/ Niagara Marriott, 1340 Millersport Hwy. in Amherst. The Triplet Parade and Picnic takes place on 7/12 from 3-9pm at the Buffalo Launch Club, 503 East River Road in Grand Island. For registration and information, call (562) 944-3395 or email
kreelindsay@verizon.net.
12Artpark Free Family Weekends run through August 3. For event information, please call 754-9500 or go online to
www.northofthefalls.com.
40th Annual Corn Hill Arts Festival, 10am-6pm today and 10am-5pm tomorrow in the Corn Hill Neighborhood in Rochester. The Festival offers the works and exhibits of over 400 juried artists from around the country and fun for the whole family. For details, log onto
www.cornhill.org or call (585) 262-3142.
Penn Dixie Site in Hamburg presents an evening astronomy program which begins at 8:30pm. View Mars and Saturn setting in the West, Jupiter in the South, a full rising moon about 10:30pm and other constellations. For additional information, call 627-4560 or check out
www.penndixie.org.
13Pan-American Exposition-Themed Tours are a collaborative effort between the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society and Forest Lawn Cemetery that tell the story of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. July tours begin at 10am and noon. To learn more, call 873-9644 ext. 301.
Canal Fest of the Tonawandas runs through 7/20 along the banks of the Erie Canal. Log onto
www.nthistorymuseum.org or call 213-0554 for information.
14La Leche League of Hamburg/West Seneca meets at 10am at 13 Rippleway Drive in Hamburg. All pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and babies are welcome. Please call Sandy at 655-4512 for more information.
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Baby-Ready-Pets Workshop is presented by the SPCA Serving Erie County to help expectant families prepare their pets for new arrivals. For more information and to register, call 629-3515 or visit
www.yourspca.org.
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Attachment Parenting of WNY hosts a meeting and potluck supper at 6pm at Unity Church, 1243 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. Call Dawn at 883-9431 for information.
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Superhero Science at RMSC takes place from 11am-4pm at 657 East Avenue in Rochester. Armor up and experience some BIFF…BAM…POW! good times as you explore the science behind superheroes such as Iron Man, The Hulk, Batman and more. Go to
www.rmsc.org or call (585) 271-1880 to learn more.
Summer of ’69 concert at Hennepin Park Gazebo, 4th and Center Streets in Lewiston, begins at 6pm. Join in the fun-filled evening featuring all of your favorites from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Log onto
www.artcouncil.org for additional information.
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21st Annual Wildlife & Renaissance Festival at Hawk Creek Wildlife Center in East Aurora is open to the public this weekend and again on 7/26 & 7/27 from 11am-4pm. It’s a rare opportunity to witness over 90 of Hawk Creek’s live birds of prey and mammals with ongoing presentations, medieval reenactments, artisans and period games brought to life by The Narnia Association. Call 652-8646 or log onto
www.hawkcreek.org for details.
2008 Summer EcoTours include a hike along the Niagara Gorge Trail #8 beginning at 10am. Join a guide for a two or three hour stroll and learn about the natural and manmade features of our extraordinary waterways. Call 852-7483 or visit
www.bnriverkeeper.org for information.
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Edible and Medicinal Flower Workshop at Tifft Nature Preserve, 1200 Fuhrmann Boulevard in Buffalo, begins with a guided tour at 2pm. Learn how to identify various plants and flowers and find out what makes them unique. Find out about the natural healing powers of herbs and flowers and take part in the edible wildflower demonstration. This program is free and no pre-registration is required. Call 825-6397 for more information.
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Discovery School Day Camp at Amherst Museum through July 25 for children ages 8-12 from 9am to 3pm each day. Children will explore theater, amusement parks, radio, the circus and more 19th and early 20th century forms of entertainment. Kids will also enjoy crafts, cooking, creative writing, speakers and a field trip. Register by calling 689-1440 or log onto
www.amherstmuseum.org.
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Junior Chefs Day Camp runs through July 24 from 1pm to 4pm each day at both the Amherst and West Seneca locations of Tops Cooking School and is designed for children ages 7 to 10. Children will learn about kitchen equipment, food safety, table setting, how to create a shopping list and the food pyramid. “Keep Your Heart Healthy” is the theme. Register by calling 515-2000 (Amherst) or 517-3006 (West Seneca).
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Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum at 180 Thompson Street in North Tonawanda celebrates Amelia Earhart’s birthday from 1pm to 2:30pm with cake and crafts. Visit
www.carrouselmuseum.org or call 693-1885.
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MOMS Club of Cheektowaga/Lancaster hosts a new member social at 10:30am. For information, please call Michelle at 563-3502 or email
momsclubofcheektowaga@gmail.com.
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Bubblefest at the Buffalo Museum of Science offers fun from 10am to 4pm. It’s an indoor-outdoor family event celebrating the science and fun of bubbles of all types: man-made, in nature, even in outer space. Activities include Casey Carle’s one-man show, Bubblemania: Science, Art and Comedy!, The Bubble Man from Allen Street, Bubble Tents, Bubble Art Room and much more. Log onto
www.buffalomusemofscience.org or call 896-5200 to learn more.
Community Music School’s Rising Stars Open House & Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ is scheduled from 11:30am to 4pm at 415 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. Take a free tour, try out a new instrument, explore music with a child and enjoy free concerts. Proceeds benefit the CMS scholarship program for disadvantaged children. To learn more, call 884-4887 or go online to
www.communitymusicbuffalo.org.
3rd Annual Pirate Fest at Evangola State Park on Old Lake Shore Road in Brant, takes place today and tomorrow. The event includes a midway, food, scheduled treasure hunts, a pirate zoo, crafts, thieves market, music and more. Contact Gary at 549-1802 for more information.
Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, located at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood, will operate its Rail Barons Model Train Display from 1pm to 4pm. The display features over 200 feet of HO gauge track, 100 buildings and a scale Erie Canal lock. Visit
www.bechs.org or call 873-9644 to learn more.
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MOMS Club of East Amherst/Clarence hosts a new member social at 10am. The club is open to moms with children of all ages. Call Lisa at 601-5456 or email
eamherstclarencemomsclub@yahoo.com for more information.
On Going...July Events at Tifft Nature PreserveJuly offers an abundance of kid-friendly programs hosted by Tifft Nature Preserve, located at 1200 Fuhrmann Boulevard in Buffalo. Wild Wednesdays are designed for children ages 6 to 9 years and take place from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Kids can get out into the wild and ask lots of questions about what they find and investigate some answers. They will exercise their brain and body on July 2 with Sunsational Summer, on July 9 with Hitchhikers, Helicopters, How High!, on July 16 with Which Way Was That?, on July 23 with Scutes and Scales and on July 30 with The Good, the Not-So-Good & the Itchy.
Nature’s Circle is a program geared for 2 and 3 year olds with a story and outdoor circle time of silly songs, games and lots of fun to help little ones engage in a natural setting. Children will learn to enjoy nature together on July 8 with Nature’s Celebrations and on July 22 with Turtle Time.
Little Tykes Mini Nature Day Camp is scheduled for July 9 and 16 from 9am to noon and features nature games, crafts, hikes and more. On July 12 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm, Tifft offers a Crepuscular Hike for all ages. The “evening rush hour” of the natural world is just as busy with traffic as the human version. Explorers of all ages can enjoy the trails while on the lookout for animals active at this busy time of day.
Pint-Size Naturalists allows 4 and 5 year olds to discover Tifft Nature Preserve and the wonders of nature through crafts, games, hiking and a snack from 10am to 11:30am. On July 15, it’s Wet and Wild and on July 29, it’s Nature’s Rainbow. Finally, on July 26 from 10am to 11:30am during Which Way Are You Going?, children ages 7 to 12 can come out to Tifft and learn how to use a compass and map to find their way in the wild. To register for any of the programs or to learn more about Tifft Nature Preserve,
call 896-5200, ext. 338.
Explorasaurus Featured at Science Museum This Summer
Do you dig fossils and mastodons? What do you know about the Ice Age in Western New York? What does a paleontologist really do? What are some of the latest discoveries on dinosaurs? These and many other questions will be explored this summer at Explorasaurus, on view at the Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, beginning Saturday, July 12 through Sunday, August 31. Summer hours at the Museum will be Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Explorasaurus is included with museum admission, which is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 students and children over age 3, and free for Science Museum members and children under 3.
Explorasaurus is inspired by the ongoing Ice Age dig research conducted over the past 23 years by the Museum at the Hiscock Site in nearby Genesee County. The Hiscock Site is one of North America’s richest Ice Age sites, a post-glacial marsh which has yielded thousands of plant, animal and early Paleo-Indian artifacts that have greatly enriched what is known about this region 10,000-12,000 years ago. Paleontologist/Illustrator Research Associate William Parsons also participates each year in ongoing dinosaur research in Montana, through which new information has been gleaned on Deinonychus and previously unknown species. Explorasaurus compares and contrasts these two very different research sites and the secrets they hold as well as the answers and theories they have provided to researchers.
Explorasaurus will feature a full-scale representation of both the Hiscock Site and Montana dig sites which guests can fully explore. Hands – on activity stations developed by the museum’s educators will guide explorers of any age to investigate among others:
• The traits and skills needed to be a prehistoric explorer, paleontologist or archaeologist.
• The relationship between fossils and rocks and how fossils are formed.
• Why certain fossils are found only in particular areas, how we know where to look for fossils, and the technology used to find them.
• Tools of the trade and how artifacts are unearthed, cleaned and documented.
• What researchers learn from fossils and artifacts about those creatures, their lives and their ancient environment.
Also featured in Explorasaurus are dinosaur and Ice Age specimens from the Museum’s collection, some of which have not previously been on display. To learn more about the Science Museum and exhibits and activities, log onto
www.buffalomusuemofscience.org or
call 896-5200.
Go to Extremes in RMSC’s New Weather ExhibitLightning flashes, thunder crashes and mist rises as you enter the new Discover “R” Weather exhibit that is currently open at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Avenue. RMSC visitors will find a dramatic new experience of science wonders in the AdventureZone gallery of Elaine Wilson Hall.
Where do clouds come from? What is a “low pressure” system, and why does it sometimes mean a rainy day? What causes lightning? Did you know that a typical lightning bolt releases 600 trillion watts of power? Experiment and discover answers to questions like this at interactive stations throughout the exhibit.
Learn about scientific instruments used to measure air pressure, wind speed and relative humidity. See fine examples made right in Rochester!
Explore local weather – how extreme is it? Why do humid summer days feel hotter than days with low humidity? What is the famous “lake effect”? Find out first hand what a cloud feels like, and experience the force of wind at different speeds. Follow the path of water as it evaporates from a river or lake, rises into the atmosphere, cools, and changes into tiny water droplets that collect and form clouds. As clouds fill up with water and/or continue to cool, the droplets of water get bigger and fall back to the Earth as forms of precipitation. Discover what “relative humidity” means, the difference between sleet and freezing rain, and more!
With your new knowledge and experience, enter the Weather Forecasting area and use an interactive computer program to create a forecast. Present your forecast in the re-created Weather Studio, complete with teleprompter and green screen. Record your “Weather Anchor” performance, and email it to a friend!
RMSC includes a planetarium, nature center and science/regional history museum. The mission of RMSC is to create inspiring, entertaining, and educational experiences engaging the community in the exploration of science and technology, the natural environment, and our region’s cultural heritage. For more information about RMSC, see
www.rmsc.org or
call (585) 271-1880.